KINO.

When hearing the word “kino” in reference to our physical selves, I also think of “kino lau” which also means having many bodies or forms. Our ancestors used their various forms to deeply connect us to our environment. Our bodies are merely and embodiment of a divine power. We exist because we are meant to – just as we were meant to centuries ago.

More often than not, I feel more insecure about my body than I feel good about it. But just as my ancestors possessed their various kino lau, so do I. I’m constantly growing, changing, shrinking, bloating. I am never the same as I was yesterday, just as the way the leaves on the trees fall or a flower wilts. I am powerful enough as a physical being that my body is capable of adapting to the different seasons of my life.

We don’t give ourselves enough credit for looking the way we do. Our bodies were intricately and specifically made. The struggle for self-acceptance is the longest and most grueling journey we’ll ever endure in a lifetime. And some of us, maybe even me, will spend more than half of that lifetime wasting so much energy just trying to be good enough for ourselves. Sometimes, I’ll look at a photo over and over until I believe that I could’ve look better. Maybe I should’ve sucked in more. I should change my diet. I can always outdo myself. And I never fully realized how desperately insecure I’ve been. Modeling bikinis for a brand that embraces individuality and self-empowerment was hard feeling the way I do about myself. But that’s exactly why I decided to do it. I won’t feel comfortable about my kino until I embrace all of my kino lau. I fight with myself more than anyone else, but I’m starting to understand that I am as ever changing as the seasons. My body changes like the tides or the wind. I deserve to treat myself better. And if my words resonate with you, then I think you do too.